Case Number 19315

BLACK NARCISSUS: CRITERION COLLECTION (BLU-RAY)

The Charge

Exquisite yearning.

Opening Statement

Another masterpiece from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger gets a
masterful Blu-ray treatment from Criterion.

Facts of the Case

Five British nuns from Calcutta are sent by their order to a Himalayan
village where they will set up a convent and provide spiritual, educational, and
medical services for the locals. The mission is led by Sister Clodagh (Deborah
Kerr, From Here to Eternity), and this makes her the youngest Sister
Superior in her order. The nuns will make their home in an old palace where,
years before, the sultan kept his women.

Not long after they arrive, the sisters find themselves having trouble
adjusting. The majestic mountains and clear air seem to overwhelm them, and
there's something about the place that's evoking memories, particularly for
Sister Clodagh, of their lives before they took the vow.

Complicating matters: the rugged Mr. Dean (David Farrar, Escape to
Burma), a British man local, whose nonchalant virility causes consternation
among the women; a sensuous and beautiful Indian teen ager (Jean Simmons,
Elmer Gantry), sent to live with the nuns; the Young General (Sabu,
The Thief of Bagdad), heir to the land, who looks to the nuns to help him
learn how to become an educated, Christian gentleman; and the deranged Sister
Ruth (Kathleen Byron, Burn, Witch, Burn!), whose instability creates
tensions within the convent.

The Evidence

Visually striking and dramatically sublime, Black Narcissus is a
beautiful work of art. A haunting reflection on spirituality and human nature,
this is Powell and Pressburger at the top of their games. Atmospheric,
unsettling, and erotic, it's a challenging, rewarding viewing experience.

There's a keen sense of tension throughout the film that's established in
the opening scenes, when Sister Clodagh is given her assignment. Her own
superior is not happy that Clodagh has been chosen, believing she's not ready.
We also learn that a group of brothers had tried a similar mission not long
before, and failed, abandoning the place after a few months. The somber,
disapproving old nun is contrasted with Angu Ayah (May Hallatt, Separate
Tables), the earthy old peasant woman who cares for the palace and who also
disapproves -- Angu Ayah would like the palace to again become a "house of
women," but not these women. She is a life force, reveling in the decrepit
building and its scandalous history, giving us the first hint that it's a place
of evoked memory.

The nuns find themselves at odds almost immediately. While they are
enthusiastic -- almost blindly so -- they are ill-equipped to deal with the
locals, who, Mr. Dean keeps reminding them, are like "children," not a
little ironic given that the Indian state was about to become emancipated from
Britain.

Sister Clodagh tries to maintain order, but the nuns become sick and
irritable, the environment seeming to have a life of its own. They try to keep
hold on their purpose and pray for guidance, but their sense of spirituality
seems quaint when compared to the holy man who stays on their land, keeping his
silent position always. Sights, sounds, smells -- including the Young General's
Black Narcissus cologne -- become externalized distractions that seem to
conspire against these women, pulling them out of their purpose and conjuring
memories too vivid of the secular world they'd left behind.

With their pale skin and drab habits, the nuns seem to fade next to the
colorfully dressed villagers and the grandiose natural surroundings.
Surprisingly, given the magnificence of the scenery, almost the entire film was
shot at a studio. The majestic mountain vistas were created by production
designer Alfred Junge (Knights of the Round Table), who won an Oscar for
his work here, as did cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Junge, Cardiff, and Powell
work with light, color, and frame to create an extraordinary looking film. It is
a remarkable collection of images -- Sister Ruth's red rimmed eyes, later giving
way to a scarlet mouth, a garden awash in color, a breathtaking shot of a young
woman standing in an ice-blue stream -- and sounds -- a drumbeat vigil for a
dying child, the rushing of the clear wind, and an eerie silence when the locals
have turned against the sisters.

The cast is uniformly excellent, with Kerr giving one of her best
performances as the conflicted Sister Clodagh. Swathed in her habit, Kerr uses
her large, expressive eyes and subtle facial gestures to convey emotion. She's a
model of restraint, outwardly, but thanks to Kerr's delicate performance and
some poignant flashbacks, we understand her inner conflicts. She gets great
support from her co-stars, including the sexy, rough-hewn Farrar and the radiant
young Simmons. Sabu is charming as the earnest Young General.

The actresses playing Kerr's fellow nuns are memorable. Of particular note
are Flora Robson as the older Sister Philippa, who is so overcome by her new
surroundings that she finds herself planting a garden of bright flowers instead
of much-needed vegetables; and Byron, whose portrait of a woman in down-spiral
is nothing short of terrifying.

Criterion released Black Narcissus on DVD in 2001. This Blu-ray
offers an improved image and some nice new supplements.

The image here is overall quite strong. It's very film-looking, with a fine
grain and generally excellent detail. There's a bit of softness here and there,
but nothing you wouldn't expect from a film of its. Colors are excellent -- the
more vibrant the color, the better it is represented here. The audio is the
original mono remastered in PCM, and it's a really well-done track, virtually
free of any hiss or distortion. Voices are clear, and the music is strong
without sounding artificially enhanced.

The disc sports a good selection of supplemental material, starting with a
commentary with Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. This track was recorded for
the Criterion laserdisc in 1988 and was featured on the previous release of
Black Narcissus. It's a very good track, Scorsese's enthusiasm balancing
nicely with Powell's more quiet recollections. Also ported over: Painting
with Light, a documentary about Jack Cardiff's work on the film.

Other supplements new to the Criterion were featured on a 2006 French DVD
release. Filmmaker Bernard Tavernier ('Round Midnight) offers an
informative nine-minute introduction to the film, and in a 17-minute interview,
"The Audacious Adventurer," talks about the film and Powell, who was a
friend of his. "Profile of Black Narcissus" is a 25-minute
retrospective with Jack Cardiff, Kathleen Byron, and others involved in the
production. Rounding out the video supplements is the trailer. Also included is
a 24-page illustrated booklet with an essay by film writer Kent Jones. The essay
by Dave Kehr, which was included in Criterion's 2001 release, is not here, but
I've linked it in the sidebar.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

I'd read some reviews about Criterion's work on the image here, and they were
all overwhelmingly positive. Overall, I think it's a very strong image, but I
noted a few problems, mainly with whites, unfortunate, since the nuns' white
habits are featured prominently throughout the film. In some scenes -- mainly
the ones inside the Himalayan convent, there's an odd, subtle shimmy around them
with a purplish-green hue. There's also some color pulsation on the white walls,
and shadows occasionally cast green, most noticeably in a scene near the end
where, for a couple of seconds, Sister Clodagh's shadowed face takes on an
unnatural color.

At most, these moments are a little distracting; had I not been watching
this Blu ray for purposes of review, I would have barely noticed. These problems
might also be inherent in the film, as they turn up in the clips used in the
supplemental material.

Closing Statement

One of the most visually beautiful films ever made and a deeply satisfying
adult drama. The Blu-ray looks great, and the supplements go a long way to
appreciating the film. Highly recommended.